World Cup 2010: Chile Striker Humberto Suazo May Miss Out Due To Doping Ban

By Robin Bairner

'Chupete' may have unwittingly breached WADA regulations in his attempt to come back from injury...

Chile striker Humberto Suazo may be forced to sit out the World Cup if he is deemed to have used a banned substance when trying to overcome injury, according to Chilean newspaper El Mercurio.

Having acquired a problem that threatened to rule him out of the competition in the recent friendly encounter against Israel, the powerful forward underwent a course of platelet injections, which have been proven to speed up the muscle healing process. These injections, however, may be illegal according to revised WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) rules.

If ‘Chupete’ is deemed to have broken these regulations, he will miss the duration of the World Cup, leaving his team-mates short of offensive power. The 29-year-old was in prolific form during the qualifying campaign, registering on 10 occasions to send the Chileans through as the second best team from South America.

After a winter loan switch to Zaragoza in Spain, he helped los Manos avoid relegation to the Segunda Division by scoring six times in 17 appearances.

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